"MIAMI VICE" (2006) Review

"MIAMI VICE" (2006) Review

When I first heard that Michael Mann had filmed a remake of the 80s classic crime drama, “Miami Vice”, I was excited. Despite the disappointing way it went off the air in 1989, I had remained a big favorite of the show – especially its first two seasons. Then word began to circulate that the movie version, which starred Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell was not as good as the Don Johnson-Philip Michael Thomas series. I heard that it lacked the style of the series and had a poor story. But despite all of the negative comments that had circulated, I was determined to see the movie and judge it for myself.

I am happy to say that I had ignored that person and went to see it, anyway. And I really enjoyed it. Both Jamie Foxx and Colin Ferrell were great, along with Gong Li and Naomie Harris. The partnership dynamics in the movie seemed to be different than the one in the film. Don’t get me wrong. Both actors were excellent and had great chemistry. But their chemistry was different than the one between Johnson and Thomas. And I was especially impressed by Jamie. For a guy that started out as a comic, he was very commanding as Ricardo Tubbs. Whereas Johnson seemed to dominate the partnership in the TV series, Foxx seemed to do the same in the movie.

The movie’s story boasted some rather exceptional villains and great action sequences. In fact, some of the elements of the series’ Season 1 episode, “Smuggler’s Blues”, were included in the story. However, the movie’s story seemed more solid than the episode’s story. My only complaints were the movie's opening and fade-out. They seemed a bit too abrupt for my tastes, but that's Michael Mann for you. He did the same with “Heat” and “Collateral”. I would highly recommend this movie. Either rent or buy the DVD as fast as you possibly can.